A Defense Department training manual for a course taken by thousands of U.S. service members refers to the Founding Fathers as extremists and, critics say, implies that many political conservatives are also extreme.

The document is part of a lesson plan for the Defense Equal Opportunity Advisers Course, a 12-week class for servicemen who are trained on how to spot discrimination on military bases and tell commanders about things that are ‘inappropriate’ for maintaining diversity in the military.

So far this year, about 3,200 soldiers from all branches of the military have taken the class that used the training manual in question, Bryan Ripple, public affairs officer for the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, told MailOnline.

Furthermore, the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute stood by the assertion that the colonists who took up arms against the British were extremists.

Extremists? The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute stands by a training document’s claim that the colonists – including the Founding Fathers – were ‘extremists’

The documents were among 133 pages related to ‘extremist groups’ that were obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watchthrough a Freedom of Information Act request filed earlier this year.

Chris Farrell, the research director of Judicial Watch, said the training manuals seem to single out conservatives.

‘They deliberately pick on and attempt to demonize persons who hold lawful legitimate viewpoints that are different than theirs.

The training manual was published by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, a services school responsible for diversity training at Patrick Air Force Base near Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Under a section in the study guide labeled ‘Extremist Ideologies,’ the course study guide reads: ‘In U.S. history, there are many examples of extremist ideologies and movements. The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule and the Confederate states who sought to secede from the Northern states are just two examples.’

Mr Ripple told the MailOnline that DEOMI – which was responsible for writing the training manual – stands by the characterization of the Founding Fathers as extremists.

‘We’re not saying that’s a bad thing, but we’re saying they went against the British government and if you follow the definition of the term, the colonists meet the definition of extremists,’ he said.

The training manual was written by the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, a service academy that trains military and personnel on how to deal with diversity issues

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch – which made public the training guide – said the language used in the manual seems to target conservative members of the armed forces.

‘The Obama administration has a nasty habit of equating basic conservative values with terrorism. And now, in a document full of claptrap, its Defense Department suggests that the Founding Fathers, and many conservative Americans, would not be welcome in today’s military,’ he said.

Later, it goes on to make reference to the KKK and notes that Equal Opportunity Advisers should watch out for different behaviors these days when looking for white supremacists.

‘Nowadays, instead of dressing in sheets or publicly espousing hate messages, many extremists will talk of individual liberties, states’ rights and how to make the world a better place,’ the document reads.

States rights and individual liberties are core values of many Tea Party groups and other libertarian-leaning political organizations.